Muhlenberg Action Plan (MAP)
The Muhlenberg Action Plan (MAP) is a unique program that allows students to harness the power of their liberal arts degree to ensure success throughout their time at Muhlenberg and beyond.
The MAP honors the uniqueness of each student but is driven by the singular theme that small, repetitive actions become positive habit and positive habits become keys to decreasing stress, increasing self-efficacy and creating a successful career in an ever-changing employment landscape.
As students progress through their time at Muhlenberg our expert staff work to build students' knowledge and abilities through deep reflection and actionable steps centered around The Muhlenberg Actions Plans four core areas:
- explore careers
- gain experience
- demonstrate expertise
- achieve excellence
EXPLORE CAREERS (First-Year)
Career exploration is a journey that you may complete during your time at Muhlenberg (and beyond) more than once. The resources below can help you begin your initial hypothesis and test out your career theory—or help you reconfigure your career trajectory as you gain more experience.
By the end of a students first year they will be able to:
- Understand and identify a variety of potential career pathways and solidify academic (major and minor) areas of interest
- Source opportunities and know how to access the Muhlenberg network
- Access and utilize career resources available to them through the Career Center
GAIN EXPERIENCE (Sophomore)
Gaining experience through the opportunities below allows you to gain skills, solidify your interests and test out your work preferences in a short-term commitment. Ninety-one percent of employers prefer their candidates to have work experience, and 65 percent of them prefer their candidates to have relevant work experience.
By the end of a students second year they will be able to:
- Utilize a “hands-on” experience to apply and test their career values, interests and classroom learning
- Understand how major(s) develop and connect to various career paths via major success kit emailed to them
- Build competitive application materials (resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile)
DEMONSTRATE EXPERTISE (Junior)
The Career Center’s goal is to connect students to industry in deeper, more consequential ways as juniors. During this year students should update their action plan to reflect the steps they plan to take to secure a first destination post graduation.
After a students third year they will be able to:
- Apply their career knowledge and expertise in a professional capacity
- Identify and successfully apply to industry immersion or experiential learning experiences (internship, research, or performing arts experience)
- Create and leverage their own professional network for career success
ACHIEVE EXCELLENCE (Senior)
If a student has engaged with the Career Center from their first year forward, then the senior year can be individualized coaching toward their desired outcome and celebration of their graduation from student to alumni.
In a students fourth year they will be able to:
- Understand how to conduct a successful job or graduate school search
